Albertans are mad as hell and won't take it any longer – at least that's the message to the rest of the country. But is that enough to succeed?
In the end, this week’s election outcome in Alberta seems like it was preordained. No, Jason Kenney was wrong when he asserted early in his tenure as leader of the United Conservative Party that the NDP was an “accidental government.” The decision by voters nearly four years ago to hand power to an unlikely suitor…
This is good political and economic news not only for the province, but the entire country
Albertans will head to the ballot boxes today. Who will they choose to lead the next provincial government? Recent public opinion polls show Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party leading Premier Rachel Notley’s NDP by a comfortable margin. Pollara Strategic Insights has the UCP ahead by 45 to 38 per cent (April 10), Nanos Research suggests…
The province has long been on the cutting edge of political innovation, despite what some would have us believe
Will Albertans vote for the United Conservative Party on Tuesday? The NDP election victory in 2015 is widely regarded as an accident. Many think it was an aberration in a deeply conservative province that, it’s predicted, will return to its bedrock conservative roots on election day 2019. The conventional wisdom is that Albertans are solidly…
Let’s modernize our public accounts, and use our financial strength and institutions to advance the public interest and eliminate the debt
Would a cash-strapped government of Alberta sell its own bank? According to reports, Scotiabank has made an offer to purchase ATB Financial. And, given the perilous fiscal conditions in the province, it's possible the government will sell. That would be huge mistake. By doing so, any government would have to betray rural Alberta and then…
Jason Kenney and Doug Ford don't have great approval ratings. But voters seem to favour their parties in Alberta and Ontario
An intriguing phenomenon is beginning to occur in our nation’s politics. Some Canadians seemed to be pleased with the policies of Conservative parties and are willing to vote for them – in spite of some apprehension toward certain party leaders. Here are two recent examples. A Mainstreet Research poll released on Jan. 22 revealed that…
It’s time to reform the tax code, eliminate exemptions and cut corporate subsidies, while significantly reducing spending
By Steve Lafleur and Ben Eisen The Fraser Institute Alberta’s recovery from the recent recession has been slow and, for many, painful. More than four years after oil prices plummeted in late 2014, private-sector employment in the province still hasn’t recovered to pre-recession levels. Although there will always be factors outside the provincial government’s control…
The federal government and oil-and-gas producing provinces are on a collision course and Alberta may well quit Confederation
Countries have broken up for very serious reasons: slavery, religion and ethnic tensions, for example. But no country has ever been at risk of breaking up because of a harmless gas like carbon dioxide. Canada could, thanks to an ideologically-driven federal government. Carbon dioxide makes up a tiny portion (.04 per cent) of our atmosphere…
If the rest of Canada won’t listen to other forms of conversation about the importance of the energy sector, how about a song?
Things have devolved into such a state of ridiculous zaniness on Canada's energy scape that perhaps it's time to express our travails through that time-proven panacea for all forms of hurt: the country and western song. Such songs can timelessly and eloquently express a range of sentiments and emotions. They’re anthems to spirit, grittiness and…
For far too many people, life is losing its lustre. Here's a systemic remedy that will take us into a new era of prosperity
Day by day, the storm signals are more evident. Let’s start with Peak America. It’s no longer the world’s top economy (China’s gross domestic product is $22 trillion compared to America’s $19 trillion), suffers under bitterly tribalized politics and is led by an oligarch with a growing list of symptoms of aged maladies. Are would-be…
The populist trinity of direct democracy – initiative, referendum and recall – is incompatible with the Canadian political system
The recent Robyn Luff controversy in Alberta illustrates two much broader issues. One is that this MLA, like many Canadians, doesn’t understand how the Westminster-style parliamentary system works. The other is the remarkable persistence of the notion that MLAs are merely delegates of their constituents. Luff, the Calgary-East MLA, complained about being forced to toe…
In the end, this week’s election outcome in Alberta seems like it was preordained. No, Jason Kenney was wrong when he asserted early in his tenure as leader of the United Conservative Party that the NDP was an “accidental government.” The decision by voters nearly four years ago to hand power to an unlikely suitor…
